Play Along
by Matrineal
Summary: While Reno and Elena are on an assignment to retrieve some stolen documents, something happens that causes them not to speak to each other for a while. Written for goodwitch08's prompt.


_**A/N: Whoo! Another challenge, this time posted by goodwitch08. I hope you guys have fun with this. I had fun writing it. You know what to do. Reviews are always appreciated, yet never expected.**_

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Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or Midgar, or the characters. I only own the plot.

My hair falls out of the style I've been fighting with. After the millionth time of trying to keep it out of my face, the persistent strands fall back in their habitual place again. I huff in front of the mirror. Platinum strands blow up for a second before settling. What stares back at me is the image of a pale woman in a full length gown of different shades of fire. She looks exhausted, spending countless nights with little sleep. Not that I hate my job at all. However, some nights are worse than others.

Rufus was furious when he learned an employee took company documents that contained sensitive information. So, he's sending Reno and me to retrieve them.

Apparently, the person in question likes to eat at high class restaurants after work, meaning that this person is in a high ranking position within the company. If we're not careful, our cover could be blown.

After deciding to leave my hair alone and stop fighting with it, I head out of the bathroom, passing Tseng on my way down the hall. He does a double take of the dress I'm wearing, and then closes his office door. I'm a bit disappointed that he hasn't said anything. But I can feel a slight smile tug at my lip. At least I got his attention. Reno greets me at the elevator with a whistle. Looks like I've gotten his attention as well. Although, that's not hard to do with him. From what I gather, he's not hard to impress. I turn to face him walking in my direction wearing a rather nice black and white tuxedo with silk lapels, minus the tie. I scoff. He's always trying to pull off casual.

"What, Laney? This enough?" He turns to show me the full outfit before I say anything.

"Where's your tie?"

"I don't like ties-"

"Go get it!"

"Fine, _mom_!" I watch as he saunters down to his office, disappearing for a moment. He returns to me at the elevator; tie in hand, as if I've sentenced him to the gallows. Geez.

"Reno, this is _formal_. You're supposed to dress _formal._"

"Yeah, yeah. Call the elevator already. The sooner this is over, the sooner I get to change." So much for him wanting to show off. I shake my head and press the 'down' button.

The way Reno messes with his tie in trying to create a proper knot almost drives me mad. At the point where I take it away from him, tie it to fit around my own neck, then place it over his head with a huff. I've never met someone so incompetent with ties! He mutters a "thank you" under his breath while fixing the collar. We really can't afford to look like ourselves for this and that's what I'm trying to get across to Reno. However it's proving harder than normal. He's supposed to be my superior and give me orders, not the other way around!

Once out of the elevator, Reno takes up stride beside me, sticking his hands in his pockets as always, until we make it to the parking lot.

Our assignment's just begun.

I sling my purse over my shoulder while he gently takes my hand, placing it in the crook of his arm on the way to his car.

"Did I mention that dress on you makes you look like a Phoenix? Tseng must be jealous_._"_ Yeah he sure closed his office door pretty quickly_. Wait _What_? Heat rises in my skin and I shove him away. Half of it's from embarrassment, half from knowing how dangerous a compliment from Reno truly is. Not only that, I've caught onto his game of giving me nicknames. I really don't know what's made me so flustered, though. Reno likes to do that. It's his favourite pastime. Along with his associating me with different kinds of birds. I still haven't figured out what his bigger game is. Could there be one?

"Shut up, Reno." We will have to see.

"You don't know how to take a compliment, do you?"

"From you? I know by now there's something more than just a compliment." I open the car door and slide in while Reno rounds to the driver's side.

"Seriously, Elena, I'm not joking. Tseng would say that you're stunning. Which you are, just FYI. It's kinda surprising that you don't have a boyfriend."

My breath catches in my throat at his words. Surely he's just messing with me, even though he says he's not. Would Tseng really say that? No way! Tseng's so guarded, he's virtually emotionless. Though, Reno could be speaking for the double take when I passed Tseng in the hall. I shouldn't be thinking about these things. _Assignment. Assignment._

"So who are we after?" Changing the subject sounds like a safe move. It's one that serves me well when I get into sticky situations.

"Eugene Casteras. He works in the Weapons Department. Here." Reno passes his cell phone over to me while pulling into the fast lane. I look at Eugene's profile, which shows that he's done some exceptional work for the company.

"So then, it's weapons documents that we're recovering?"

"No. That's the thing. All his research is at the company. The files that are missing belong to both Urban Development and Molecular Biology. Reeve is displeased and Hojo's yowling like a cat. The president doesn't know what to make of the situation. He thinks that it could be steps toward Eugene betraying the company. If that's the case, we have no choice but to dispose of the poor bastard."

I swallow hard, remaining silent. I don't want to kill anyone. But like Reno said, we don't have a choice. What would Tseng do? What if this is all a mistake? What if this Eugene didn't mean to take Shin-Ra documents? There are so many things that I wish don't have to be, and will never be in a perfect world. But this is Shin-Ra, and this is not a perfect world by any standard.

Not much has changed since Rufus' succession.

I try not to think of the possibilities by distracting myself with looking out the window. However, that just makes my thought delve deeper into wondering what really happened to my sister. Tseng won't tell me where she is, or her status. Did Shin-Ra kill her, too? What did she do wrong? I hate being in the dark, especially when it comes to family. Guess there's not much I can do about that. I heave a sigh. Reno's phone rings in my lap, causing me to stare at it blankly before taking it up and answering.

"Hello?"

"Pass me to Reno." Tseng's tone is stone cold. That's not good.

"Um…" I glance over to Reno who is fully concentrated on driving.

"Yes?"

"He's driving, Sir."

"Well, pass me over. He needs to hear this." I shove the phone in Reno's face so he can get a grasp of it before I let go.

"Sir?" I bite my bottom lip watching his expression contort to one of concern. While I can't hear what's being said, it can't be good at all.

"I got it. Don't worry, it'll be dealt with."

_What? What will?_ I shouldn't be as curious as I am. I already know the situation so far. What would Tseng be adding that would make matters worse?

Maybe I don't want to know.

Reno flips his phone closed giving a sigh. "What a mess."

I turn to face him. "What is?"

He doesn't answer.

"Reno."

Silence.

"Eugene was found dead about an hour ago. We have to recover those documents as soon as possible."

"But… who?" Why would someone kill a normal Shin-Ra employee? I can understand someone being after us, or Rufus. Someone as normal as Eugene being killed is weird. However, it's not our jurisdiction to investigate.

"We don't know. It doesn't make sense. More than half of Midgar's population works for the company. We'll check in with the Commander after a while."

I nod in agreement as Reno pulls up to the curb of a very high class restaurant, with polished wood front doors and brass handles. He gets out, leaving his car with a valet, then rounds to my side and opens the door. I give him a quizzical glance. He responds with a shrug.

"Might as well play the part, right?" He tugs away at his tie, making it looser. I shake my head. He looks like he's suffocating.

"I can't stand suits…"

"Keep quiet," I hiss, slipping my hand around his forearm. He stiffens.

"Tseng said the documents should be in a back room somewhere…" I give him a bewildered look.

"They have _tracking devices_?"

Reno chuckles. "When you say it like that, it does sound kinda strange. Yes, little Phoenix. They do."

He leads me up a gilded staircase to the front door with red carpeting so plush it feels like my heels will puncture it. I struggle to keep my mouth closed at the lavishness of the restaurant. Everything is designed with gold trim. A domed ceiling expands over the dining hall and marble dance floor situated in the center of the restaurant. Small two or three person tables are scattered around its edge with deep scarlet tablecloths and a candle on each. Heavy velvet curtains drape over massive windows on both the first and second floors in deep sapphire. A golden bannister rounds from the balcony above us, leading down another staircase to our left. I knew it was posh from the outside alone. However, walking in, I feel like a foreigner.

"Welcome to the world of Rufus Shin-Ra," Reno whispers in my ear. I swallow hard. If the president lives like this, where money is no object, then the lives of us Turks only match up to a fraction. Sure it's enough to provide us with a comfortable life, and then some. It's nowhere near this. It possibly might never be unless we have the job of an S or A class employee.

Right. The documents.

Reno and I weave through patrons and waiters on the crowded ground floor. We receive odd glances while heading to the back private quarters.

_Is that a Dumbapple?!_ I slip the fruit off of a passing tray piled with them while my superior tugs at my hand.

_Oh gods, they taste better than described!_ I grasp the stem of another and slip it in my purse for later. There's no way I'm leaving without a souvenir! Reno chuckles and shakes his head at me. I take another bite of Dumbapple.

"What?"

"Nothing, little Phoenix. Let's go before I lose you to gorging on Dumbapples."

"They're good!" _I can't help it!_ I hold mine out for him to take a bite, but he refuses.

"I'm not much of an apple person," is his excuse.

I take my apple back. "Fine. Loser."

His grip tightens on my arm as we turn down a corridor away from the kitchens and check each door.

To go with the elaborate décor in the main dining area, the back is just as extravagant. There's more plush carpeting and polished wood paneling to match the doors. Small crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling. I try not to gawk at everything around me while Reno is doing most of the work.

I follow him at a slow pace, finishing my apple. _Where can I dispose of the core? _I search around for a trash can to no avail. The sound of voices coming from down the hall grabs my attention. I'm scared that they're going to find us. I don't know why. We're Turks. It must be the fact that we're snooping around. Reno's testing the knob of one door to see how he can get it open. I rush over to him, just as the voices are growing in volume. I take Reno by the shoulder, turn him away from the door, pull him down to my level by his tie, and press my lips against his with my back to the polished wood. He pulls away from me, an expression of disbelief written across his face. "Elena!"

I bring him down to meet my lips again, determined that he becomes aware of the immediate danger of us being discovered. Reno catches on, working his lips against mine. It's almost maddening! I can't lose myself in him no matter how much I want to. It's only acting. He leans his bodyweight against me. His hands that were firm upon my shoulders, drift down to my waist taking me in an embrace of which I have no ability to get out of between him and the door. A sweet taste of Dumbapple washes around my mouth, allowing him to get a taste, since he was a loser to not want a bite. The apple core falls from my hand in working the doorknob open. Two men scoff at our public display of affection; my hand finally managing to work properly and we stumble into the room. I close the door, and then lean against the other side. My breath comes out in short spurs and hot, just as Reno breaks away. His forehead is pressed against mine. He swallows hard, his fingers brushing a loose strand out of my eyes. He wants to say something, yet can't find the words. What is it? A tug on my conscious wants to know what he's going to say. His breathing comes out warm and misty against my neck. I was more scared of being discovered than of kissing Reno. Funny how that works sometimes. My skin burns from the rush of excitement. My superior's not making it any better. He's still so close. Our lips are only millimeters apart. I take the opportunity to glance up to his blue eyes.

Reno's not seeing me as a coworker anymore. He's done with acting. His skin burns just as mine does, coming off in waves of heat. My dress, despite the spaghetti straps is too warm. A soft brush against my lips means that he wants this for real. _Whoa!_ _I didn't mean for __**this**__ to happen!_ Before Reno has a chance to make that bold gesture his phone rings, saving us both. We're snapped back to reality and I release his tie. He tears away to answer it, clearing his throat and walking over to a desk littered with papers. A part of me, the larger part has me sigh in relief that Reno's phone went off when it did. My eyes follow him while he shuffles through papers, holding them up to the light.

"Yes, Sir. They're definitely Shin-Ra." From where I stand, I can make out a watermark of our company's logo on each sheet being held up to the light for examination.

"Understood. We'll be back soon."

Reno hangs up, shoving the phone in his pocket and continuing what he's doing in silence. A wave washes over me; something similar to self-loathing. What have I done? We didn't have much of a choice.

"Let's get out of here." Reno's words snap me out of whatever dimension I was stuck in. I glance up from my eyes being trained on the multiple patterns in the carpet. What is he thinking? He snaps closed a briefcase atop the desk, then turns to face me directly. There's still a hint of heat in his face, though most of it has drained. He doesn't meet my eyes. I make myself useful in opening the door, chasing after his fast pace down the hallway. It almost seems like he wants to get away from me. I try to convince myself that this isn't true. That it's just my thoughts going haywire from the spur of the moment. However, there's that continuous sinking feeling that something between us has broken.

"We'll take the back entrance and find my car. From there, we're home free."

Reno takes my hand despite its cold clamminess, at a steady run out into the night air. My skin prickles on contact with outdoors and I struggle to make myself warmer despite not having a coat. We run through the parking lot to his car. He tosses the briefcase into the back seat, then rounds to the driver's side. All intentions of making an impression are forgotten and I open my door with a roll of my eyes. I should have expected as much. There's a new tension between us that was non-existent before. I want to say something in order to fill the new void, but whatever I have to say might break out into an argument. So I say nothing at all.

He tears out of the parking lot and onto the highway, making a u turn in the direction of headquarters.

My hands search through my purse, bringing out the Dumbapple I have stolen. I hold its smooth lavender and white form in my cupped hands. I'm tempted to toss it out the window. I don't want it anymore. Looking at it is only a reminder of what I've done inside the restaurant. I could have jeopardized our careers. I almost have. That's what Reno would say now. It's bad enough that looking at him the same way like I used to will take some time after this. It's even worse that a part of me, a small part in the back of my mind, enjoyed kissing him.

_End._


End file.
